The Exploration and Utilization of Ocean Energy in China Amb. Wu Zhenglong, Vice Chair, CNCPEC

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A PECC International Project 2011-2012Sustainable management of Marine Resources

Seminar Two: Oceans as a Source of Renewable EnergyHawaii March 26-28, 2012-3-2012

The Exploration and Utilization of Ocean Energy in China

Amb. Wu Zhenglong, Vice Chair, CNCPEC

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• April 1st, 2010, “PRC Renewable Energy Law”enacted,

marking a new historical period in the exploration and utilization of the renewable energy in China.

• ocean energy --an important part of renewable energy, --a focus of China’s renewable energy

development.

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I. The exploitation of the ocean energy is of strategic significance

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Ocean Energy

• The ocean energy: all forms of natural energy sources embedded in the sea or derived from the sea.

• Renewable ocean energy: tidal energy, wave energy, current energy, thermal gradient energy, salinity gradient energy, sea biomass energy, and offshore wind energy.

• A massive source of clean and renewable energy, ocean energy drew extensive attention from the coastal countries in1970s.

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Why ocean energy for the world

• In new century, depleting fossil nergy ,tremendous pressure of global climate change,necessity of energy conservation and emission reduction

• international consensus: only with the clean energy technology can a country lead the global economy of the 21st century.

• ocean energy: strategic importance in the future

energy development.

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China’s emission reduction goal

Backdrop: UN Climate Change Framework Convention,World Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

Chinese government goal:GHG emission control on Nov.25th, 2009

• cutting CO2 emission by 40% to 50% per unit of GDP against the 2005 level

• incorporating this as a binding indicator in the medium to long term national economic and social development plans.

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Why Ocean Energy ?

The ocean energy :a major part in efforts to realize this action plan

China’s theoretical installed capacity of offshore ocean energy : > 2750 Gigawatt, three times the total installed capacity of electricity in 2009.

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Strategic importance

- optimizing energy structure - developing clean energy - dealing with climate change - promoting low carbon economy

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II. China has great potential to tap in ocean energy

China: a big ocean country with -a coastline of 18000 kilometers -over 6900 islands bigger than 500 sq

uaremeters in area, - rich in ocean energy reserves

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Tidal energy

The total capacity developable ≈ 22 gigawatt

mainly found in the coastal areas • -Qiantangjiang River Estuary,Zhejiang Province• - Leqing Bay,Zhejiang Province• -Sandu Bay, Fujian Province• -Luyuan Bay,Fujian Province

An average tidal range of four to five meters

maximum tidal range being 7 to 8.5 meters.

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Current energy

• The developable capacity ≈ 14 gigawatt.

• Zhejiang Province >50% with 37 waterways in its coastal area.

• Fujian + Liaoning Provinces ≈ 42%

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Wave energy

Total developable capacity ≈ 13 gigawatt

offshore winds relatively weak

• China’s power density is low with an average capacity =2-7 kilowatt /meter

• given the vast waters, many regions are developable

• Zhejiang+ Fujian + Guangdong provinces > 40% ,Shangdong > 10%.

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Thermal gradient energy

• Thermal gradient energy reserves: the biggest in all types of ocean energy

• developable capacity= 1300 gigawatts• richest reserves in the South China Sea w

aters • -highest power density • - temperature difference between the surf

ace water and deep water = 20 to 24 degrees Celsius.

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Wind energy and biomass energy

• Rich offshore wind energy and biomass energy.

• developable offshore wind energy = 450 gigawatts, three times the land wind energy

• Fujian, Jiangsu and Shandong rank top 3 • A large number of oil-rich algae species su

itable for development and utilization for biomass energy.

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China’s endowment of ocean energy

• Rich current and thermal gradient energy leading the world in power density

• Medium level in tidal energy

• The offshore wind energy and marine bio-mass energy present great potential for development.

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III. Where we are in technology for the exploration and utilization of

ocean energy

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What we have done

• Starting from 1960s,

- conducted an extensive survey of ocean energy sources

- started to build tidal power stations

- developed the technologies of wave energy, tidal energy, thermal gradient energy, and salinity gradient energy.

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Status quo of energy development techs

• Relatively mature technologies of tidal power generation

• -Jiangxia Experimental Power Station in commercial operation, ranking No. 3 in the world in terms of installed capacity

• technologies for wave and current power generation are still at the stage of experiment and demonstration.

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Status quo of energy development techs (continued)

A series of invention patents and scientific and technological achievements claimed in wave power generation e.x.

• - 40-watt buoy wave power generation device • - 10-watt wave power generation device for navigation fli

ghts• - 100 kilowatt oscillating water column wave power plant

in Shanwei, Guangdong Province• - a 30-kilowatt oscillating wave power stationin

Daguandao, Shandong • Substantial progress has been made in current energy a

nd thermal gradient energy.

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Measures taken to Promote Ocean Energy

Support E&U in research, application, and management. R&D and demonstration of major ocean energy technologies listed as the key itemsin Scientific and Technological Support Plan of the 11th Five Year Plan.e.x.

• - the 100 kilowatt buoy wave power plant• - the 100 kilowatt oscillating wave power p

lant.

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Special Programs

• --Survey and evaluate through general site prospecting and assessment the ocean energy reserves and developable capacity

• -- Build independent power plants on nearshore islands as a demo by making comprehensive use of wave energy, solar energy and island wind energy.

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National 863 Plan• Several projects set to support the basic st

udies of ocean energy and the development of key technologies for the power generation facilities.

• These projects helped to substantially enhance China’s capacity for independent innovation and provide a solid base for the industrialization of ocean power generation.

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IV. Outlook for China's future development of ocean energy

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Strategy• In line with national strategy of the development of sustai

nable energy, energy conservation and emission reduction, China is drafting“Special Plan for the Development of Renewable Ocean Energy”

• Given technological gap in the development of ocean energy, China will accelerate international cooperation and domestic innovation in exploration and utilization of ocean energy

• Surmount the bottlenecks for the use of ocean energy through experimental and demonstrative projects.

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Policy• Initiate and improve relevant policies and public

utility system • Facilitate general public's access to power on th

e remote islands in process of enforcement of “Law on Island Protection”

• Promote the development of the technologies and the industry of sustainable ocean energy

• Improve the R&D capacity and the level of industrialization,

• Enhance the ability to develop and use ocean energy on a large scale.

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Technological forecast 2015 • by 2015, China will catch up the level of the adv

anced countries at the turn of this century in terms of general capacity of ocean energy development and utilization.

• - acquire a substantial capacity of demonstrating and applying the ocean power generation system

• - reach level of practical application for ocean energy development technology

• - extend technologies for large scale tidal energy internationally

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Technological forecast 2015 (continued)

• -grasp and localize core technologies of offshore wind power generation for scale production

• -overcome key technological barriers for current power generation

• -develop wave energy technologies suitable for China’s marine features

• -make greater efforts to study comprehensive use of thermal gradient energy.

• -beef up studies on ocean biomass energy with applicable prospects.

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A Structured Ocean Energy Industry

• Establish the supporting service system • Set up comprehensive test centers • Step up process of industrialization of ocean ene

rgy in a substantial way. • Help to form an industrial chain of R&D, equipm

ent manufacturing, project engineering, and operation and management .

• Develop a compatible soft environment with a standard system, regulations and mechanisms on the management of ocean energy.

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Thank you !